Kingdom Hearts III  Heart's Strength
by AlvinEarthWormFan
Summary: Organization XIII and the Heartless have returned, and this time no one is underestimating anybody. It's Sora and co. vs Organization XIII and the Nobodies vs Malficent and Pete and the Heartless. They've all also gotten far too powerful. How can this be?
1. Chapter I : Fun and News

This is a SoraxKairi Fanfic. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any characters.

* * *

_**Destiny Islands**_

"Kairi! Sorry I'm late!" yelled a voice behind her.

She spun around, having recognized the voice, and bumped right into him.

"Waaah!" Kairi said as she fell down, with Sora toppling and, before he landed on her, stuck his arms out and flipped over her.

"Heh, sorry. Didn't slow down." said Sora, holding out his hand. She took it and he lifted her up to her feet.

"Thanks," she said, giving a smile that made Sora's Heart soar.

"So, we're seeing Riku and Leon at Traverse Town, right?" asked Sora

"Yeah, Goofy and Donald left a letter for us." Kairi said "Didn't you get it?"

"... No..." Sora said, lost in thought.

"Well, we can ask them why when we get there. Come on! First one there gets front seat!" she said as she started running.

"H-hey! No Fair!" Sora exclaimed, chasing her.

* * *

_**Gummi Ship**_

"It's a tie!" yelled Kairi, touching the Gummi Ship at the same time Sora did.

"No, I won."

Surprised by the voice, Sora and Kairi looked around to find the source.

"Up here." said the voice. Then Sora looked into the Gummi Ship's Passenger seat.

"Man, you weren't even part of our race, Riku." Sora mumbled

"Maybe not, but I'm still here first and, as you can see, I've already got the front seat." Riku stated

"Donald and King Mickey. They are at the shop in town. They'll be back soon, I hope" said Riku, who had obviously been waiting for quite a while. "Hey Sora? Wanna spar?"

The answer came when Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"Let's go!" Riku said, and went outside with Sora.

"Oh boy." said Kairi, though she was eager to watch.

Riku was using the Soul Eater, and Sora, unsurprisingly, was using the Kingdom Key.

Riku moved first, attacking at Sora's left. Sora blocked and tried to stab him, but Riku back flipped out of the way. As he landed, he shot Fira at Sora, which hit him head on.

"Heh, heh." Riku snickered. He ran to the smoke, readying to strike.

"STUN IMPACT!" yelled Sora. The smoke cleared as the orange field of energy went around Sora and hit Riku, who became paralyzed. Kairi now noticed the burns on Sora's hand, and then realized that his glove wasn't there. The Fira had completely burned it up. Then Sora said, "Thanks for not using Firaga... You do care." he added sarcastically.

"I'll use Firaga next, Smart-Alec." said Riku with difficulty, due to the fact that he was still stunned. However, he was almost able to move again.

"Here we go!" Sora yelled. He threw his Keyblade, which left a trail of ice behind it. "Take my Blizzard Raid!"

It got closer... closer... closer...

"Yes!" exclaimed Riku, who, having just been freed from the paralysis, had jumped over the Keyblade. The Keyblade disappeared and reappeared in Sora's hands.

They ran toward each other, ready for a big attack... *ssssing!*

"King Mickey!" Riku yelped along with Sora. Mickey had just slashed the air in between them with his Keyblade to stop them.

"Come on, you two. It's time to go!" Mickey told them.

They looked in the Gummi Ship, and sure enough, Goofy, Donald, and Kairi were already in. And...

"Hey! The front seat's mine!" yelled Riku, astonished Kairi was sitting there.

She stuck her tongue out from behind the front window. "Move your feet, lose your seat!"

"Aww, man." Riku mumbled as Sora laughed.

"Traverse Town!" Mickey called into the transceiver. Instantly, the ship bound up, the rockets ignited, and it blasted off.

* * *

_**Traverse Town**_

"We have a severe problem." Mickey told Sora and co. "Heartless are reappearing again."

"What! How!" Sora asked, rather loudly.

"When we finished Xemnas, and Kingdom Hearts was damaged, the hearts it had taken flew out and again, became Heartless." Mickey then added, "While on the talk of Xemnas, you should know that he, along with the rest of the Organization, is alive.

"What!" Sora yelled again.

"But how...?" Riku began.

"Thirteen of the hearts given back by Kingdom Hearts were taken by the remaining energy of each member, so they used the hearts' energy to make a new body for themselves." Mickey explained.

"So they all have hearts now?" Sora asked.

"No." Mickey answered "When they merged, they were forced to use all the hearts' energy to create their new bodies. They still have no heart. Now, as you can guess, with them coming back-"

"- so will the other Nobodies." Riku finished

"Here we are." Mickey said.

"King Mickey. 'Bout time" said a voice. It sounded like...

"Leon!" Goofy exclaimed happily.

"Been to long Sora, Goofy, Donald, Riku." he said calmly "And you'd be... Kairi?"

Kairi, though very slightly, so no one could see, blushed.

"Anything changed?" Mickey asked.

"Nope. The Nobodies are still in Hallow Bastion, and the Heartless are still in the copy of it." Leon informed.

"Well then, we should attack." Mickey stated. "Get the rest of the Hallow Bastion Restoration Commit-*BOOM*

An explosion had taken place at Hallow Bastion. Then, at the same time, Nobodies, joined by Axel and Larxene, and Heartless, led by Maleficent and Pete, came out of their castle and came toward the town.

"Th-Their fight is gonna take place here! In town!" exclaimed Sora.

"Leon, get Yuffie and the others and warn the town!" Mickey yelled "They'll be here in but a handful of seconds! The castles are only about forty yards distance.

"Get ready, Sora!" Riku warned. "It's us vs Heartless vs Nobodies! And we also have to protect the villagers!"

Sora was lost in thought. _Offence? Or Defense? Attack them or protect villagers? Which one should come first? Either choice, this won't be fun._

* * *

Sora's words exactly: This won't be fun. Review if you want to. That's appreciated. Chapters to be added.


	2. Chapter II : Light vs Dark vs Nothing

Kingdom Hearts belongs to rightful owners.

* * *

**_Traverse Town_**

"We should split up. Three of us stall the Heartless, and the other-" Mickey stopped.

They all looked to where Mickey was staring. There, next to copy of Hallow Bastion, was the biggest of all the Heartless, Darkside.

"Here they all come!" Mickey yelled. "Riku, come with me! Donald, Goofy, you two go as a group! Sora! I trust you can handle things there!" he nodded toward Darkside.

"Right!" Sora said proudly. _I'm on offence._

"Kairi!" Mickey said. "Find cover!"

Mickey and Riku went one way, Donald and Goofy went another direction, and Sora was about to leave when he saw that someone behind her…

"Thunder!" yelled Sora, and a bunch of lightning from the already gray clouds came down and zapped him… her?

"You're… Larxene!" Sora said as Kairi ran behind him. Now that he was closer, Sora could see that the lightning had done nothing.

"Not you again." She said darkly. "The great 'Keyblade Master'."

"Thunder!" she yelled as Sora used "Blizzard!"

The Blizzard and Thunder collided, and both blew up. There were ice shards and electric bolts all over. Sora also thought he had felt a drop hit his face.

"Come on, Kairi, come follow me." Sora whispered as there was nearly no way Larxene could currently see them.

"Ok." Kairi said, and she grabbed on to his hand, blushing only slightly. Sora and Kairi ran through alleyways and streets, getting as far away as possible from Larxene as possible, and slowly got closer to Darkside. It was raining steadily now.

They were now passing Heartless, who had been going closer to the center of town. Sora took many of them out effortlessly as he ran by. Not too far behind them, Darkside was at the edge of town.

"Stay behind here." Sora whispered as he pushed her against a wall behind a building. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"But-" Kairi started, but Sora already started running toward Darkside. It was pouring by now.

"Yo!" someone yelled, and soon after everything around her became dark.

* * *

_Ridiculous!_ Larxene thought angrily. _That brat is back to foil us! I must find Axel._

"Foo." She mumbled. "A little brat with an oversized key is our greatest threat."

She turned a corner and saw Nobodies being destroyed. Then she saw the source.

"Well, well. The King and his accomplices."

"Thundaga!" yelled Donald, and many Heartless disappeared in the dancing bolts.

"Goofy Tornado!" yelled Goofy. He spun and took out many of them.

"Hey there, Donny!" said a voice from behind Donald, which was vaguely familiar.

Donald turned around and saw a giant fist hurtling toward him. Then he drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

Sora aimed another Thunder Raid at Darkside. It hit him dead on. "Sonic Blade!" he yelled, and slashed through him multiple times. With that, Darkside disappeared.

"Yes!" he exclaimed as he ran back to Kairi's hiding place. He did not find her. Instead, there were just flames, being weakened by the rain…

_Flames?..._ Sora thought bleakly. Then, _Oh, no! It can't be!_

* * *

She was tied to a pole. Kairi felt completely powerless. She was cold and wet.

"Hmmm… Larxene should have returned by now." The man who had kidnapped her said. She recognized him, for he had already kidnapped her before and taken her to The World that Never Was.

Axel.

They were in a remote part of town. One that had not yet seen any fighting. They seriously could not have been more alone. This, of course, was the idea.

Then Kairi had a sneezing fit. It went on for quite a while.

"Ah, sorry. Here." He apologized and snapped his fingers. Instantly, black robes like the kind he wore appeared on her.

The word 'thanks' came to her lips, but she couldn't say it out loud. He had taken her, after all.

"You're welcome." said Axel, clearly undisturbed by her silence. However, he was saddened at the sight of her. _Sadness?_ She was so innocent. Sure, she had helped defeat Organization XIII, but that was from fear and worry of him taking her. He knew he needed her to try to control Sora, to recreate Kingdom Hearts, to get a heart for himself. But he was upset that she was to be treated like this. _But… I can't feel… anything… I can't be sad or upset… right?_

* * *

Sora swifted through the town, searching for Kairi and Axel and taking out every Heartless and Nobody that got in his way. He left the ones who were fighting each other alone, knowing that with almost every Heartless/Nobody clash he saw, there would be about half of those left. However, to avoid most fights, he jumped over the rooftops.

_Where would Axel go? Definitely not somewhere with Heartless, because as great a fighter as he was, he can't take Kairi and fight at the same time._

So he looked in remote spots... and eventually heard talking, though it sounded nothing like Axel…

"-he wasn't there?" asked a female voice. Familiar…

"Nope." Said a male voice, which was also familiar. "Just these two clowns."

Sora peered over the edge of the roof. His eyes popped out of his head.

Donald and Goofy lay unconscious against a wall. The male voice had been Pete, which meant the female voice was…

"Maleficent?" Pete started, looking stunned. "Look. It's… Mickey and… the traitor."

Sora and Maleficent turned, Sora still hidden from them, and saw Larxene down the alley, and noticed Mickey and Riku beneath him.

"No more running!" Larxene yelled. "Fight me!"

"It's the witch who controls the Nobodies here!" Pete accused, revealing himself.

Maleficent stepped into the walkway. Pete had slight trouble moving aside for her in the small alley. "Well, well. King Mickey and a leader of the Nobodies."

Sora snuck over the other side of the roof and landed in the corner Goofy and Donald were in. He gave both of them a High-potion and, slowly, they woke up.

"Quack! Sora!" Donald hollered

"No time. You were knocked out by Pete or Maleficent, and now they're fighting Larxene, Mickey, and Riku. And we're going to help.

Around the corner, flashes of light were continually going off, visible even with the pouring rain.

They ran around the corner, expecting to be attacked immediately, only to find everyone gone and Maleficent's robe turning a corner ahead.

All three of them looked at each other, and then burst out running.

* * *

Kairi saw the flashes of light and thunder, slowly moving through the city. Axel watched with interest.

"Larxene seems to be using more power than she had intended…" Axel mumbled. "You stay here like a good girl." He added, and then disappeared.

Kairi yelped into the rain. Axel had left. There was no better time to escape. And what was stopping her?

Rope… and a pole.

_No!_ She screamed in her head, wiggling around. _This is so stupid! I can't stay here!_ *Flash*

Her Keyblade, the Destiny's Embrace, had appeared. This surprised her for a moment, and then she started cutting at the ropes.

"I'm free!" she yelled a few minutes later, the ropes falling to the ground as she stood up.

She ran out of there. She turned many times, trying to find the center of town. She sprinted as fast as she could, rain pelting her face.

She didn't notice the pairs of eyes following her. Cold eyes. Dark eyes. Blank eyes.

Heartless eyes.

* * *

Sora, Donald and Goofy had followed the flashing lights and yelling voices, which were now leading to the center of town. When they had got there, the King, Riku, Maleficent, Pete, and Larxene were fighting. There were many Heartless and Nobodies fighting each other as well.

They were almost there when they heard a scream in the air and froze.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled, as he had recognized the yell first.

"Goofy, Donald, help Riku and the King!" Sora yelled as he sprinted away. "I have to save her!"

He didn't hear their response, if any, but since they were not following behind him, he was sure they were assisting Riku and Mickey.

He continued to run toward where Kairi's yell had come from. There were many Heartless and Nobodies fighting.

As he ran, he saw Heartless which had taken the form of a dome. This wouldn't have bothered Sora; he'd seen the Heartless assume many forms before. However, this one moved strangely.

They were moving, but they were slower and were moving as if struggling.

Struggling to hold something in them. Something, or someone…

He ran toward it and heard Kairi's voice, though it was faint.

* * *

She now saw blood all over. She was struggling against the Heartless, and the only thing it got was more of a beating. The pain was unbearable. It was as though she was one big bruise. And she was almost at her limit. The edges of her vision were black, and the rest was blurred. Every so often she thought she saw the blade of the Kingdom Key poking through the Heartless. She reached for it, her pain numbing, her sight getting blurrier. She blacked out just as she had thought her hand had been hit by the rain from outside.

* * *

Sora had seen her hand reach out of the Heartless for a second, and he had grabbed at the spot he had seen it. He got a hold of her arm and pulled. "Let go!" he yelled at the Heartless as he attempted to slash them with the hand holding the Keyblade, but most of his effort was channeled in pulling Kairi out. The Heartless were attacking relentlessly and soon Sora felt his Keyblade being hit out of his hand. He was going to be pulled in. But it didn't matter.

All that did was Kairi.

* * *

"There she is" said Axel. He walked out into the middle of the town. He summoned his Chakrams.

"A little help here?" Larxene yelled.

He threw one of his Chakrams at one of the opponents. He then recognized him as one of Sora's accomplices. The goofy one.

He looked at all the challengers. There were the King, one of Sora's friends he thought was named Riku, and the two who were with Sora most of the time.

_No Sora?_

Axel did some quick thinking. _If Sora's not here, where would he be?..._ His face lit up in realization. _No! He's looking for the girl!_ Then he relaxed. _He won't find her. This town is full of alleys and corners. Like searching for a needle in a haystack, as he would say._

'Let's begin." He said.

* * *

Kairi was severely injured. She would not last much longer.

In her mind, she was floating in darkness.

In her mind, she wasn't hurt, but couldn't move or even open her eyes.

Then a light shone, and someone grabbed her arm. Sora.

She woke up. The pain coming back full force and she could feel the Heartless moving. And…

She could feel a hand trying to pull her out.

"Sora?" she called weakly. He didn't hear her. He was almost fully in the Heartless himself.

His grip was becoming weaker and weaker. He was nearly unconscious, too. She opened her eyes enough to see him. He was staring straight at her. He was smiling. Smiling just because she was awake, even as both of them was pummeled by the Heartless.

Then something unexplainable happened…

Just as their eyes met, Sora's chest, as well as Kairi's, started to glow. The light became brighter and brighter, and then all the Heartless dissipated in a blast of light.

* * *

Larxene disappeared and went back to the castle as soon as the huge flash of light appeared, as well as Pete and Maleficent. Axel went back to the spot he'd tied Kairi up and found the ropes cut. He shortly told the Nobodies to retreat to Hallow Bastion. The Heartless also retreated. Leon and Yuffie found Sora and Kairi and brought them to their base with King Mickey, Riku, Donald, and Goofy for immediate treatment…

* * *

Reviews are welcome.


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